1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an imaging apparatus having functions for judging a condition with respect to an object and for compensating an image data of the object by basing on the result of the judgment.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a field of a digital still camera using an imaging device such as a CCD or a CMOS, a first conventional camera enabling image taking, image reproducing and image printing processes with attaching importance to a main object selected by a user is conventionally proposed, for example, in Publication Gazette of Japanese Patent Application Hei 11-136568.
The conventional camera has a display panel by which a position or an area of a main object on the display panel can be selected before taking an image of the object. When the image of the object is reproduced or printed, the image data of the image are compensated in a manner so that brightness, colors and so on of the area corresponding to the main object become proper by using a position information of the selected area.
The conventional camera, however, merely memorizes the position information of the selected area as the main object, but contents of the image data compensation are not memorized.
In a conventional printer shown in the above-mentioned publication gazette, it is judged whether the main object is a person or not by retrieving a color of human skin in the selected area or in the vicinity of the selected position. Thus, it is necessary to wait a long time for printing an image of the object. For selecting a plurality of persons, it is necessary to repeat substantially the same processes in the same number as the persons. Thus, the processes for selecting the main objects becomes troublesome, and the operative performance of the camera becomes lower.
On the other hand, another digital still camera (second conventional camera) is proposed, for example, in Publication Gazette of Japanese Patent Application Hei 11-298768. When a shutter switch is pushed by a predetermined middle depth, the camera outputs an image data taken by an imaging device in a monitoring mode at a predetermined interval. When the shutter switch is fully pushed, the camera outputs the image data in a full image data outputting mode so as to be recorded in a recording media.
In the monitoring mode, a plurality of pixel data from pixels adjoining each other are added, so that a number of pixel data included in the image data used for displaying a monitor image on a monitor display is reduced. Thus, it is possible to shorten the image data processing for displaying the monitor image. When the pixel data are simply added, the level of the added pixel data becomes higher, so that the level of the added pixel data must be reduced corresponding to the number of added pixel data with respect to one pixel of the monitor image. As a result, it is possible to execute the calculation of control values for compensating exposure value and color balances commonly in both of the monitoring mode and the full image data outputting mode.
In the second conventional camera, the control values are merely used in the monitoring mode and the full image data outputting mode, commonly. It, however, is desired in an imaging apparatus to judge a condition of an object or to execute a compensation process to an image data outputted from an imaging device by basing on a result of a judgment. Furthermore, it is preferable to execute the judgment and the compensation process by following proper steps with respect to the monitoring mode and the full image data outputting mode.